The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-05-05

treat them with great courtesy and kind
ness. When they are not positively en-
gagged, let them sit down. In England and
the United States physicians have protested
against the habit of compelling the wo-
manly clerks in the stores to stand. There
fore, ! add to the protest of physicians the
protest of the Christian Church. and in
the name of good health, and that God who
has made the womanly constitution more
delicate than mans, demand that you let
her sit down.
The second counsel have to give to the
clerks who are here to-day is that you seek
out what are the lawful regulations of your
establishment, and then submit to them.
Every well-ordered house has its usages.
In military life, on ships deck, in COM
mercinl life, there must be order and disci-
piine. Those people who do not learn how
TO obey will never know how to command.
[ will tell you what young man will reach
ruin, financial and moral; it is the young
man who thrusts his thumb into his vest
and saws: "Nobody shall dictate to me;
am my own master; will not submit to
the regulations of this house." BeIween
an estalli hment in which all the employees
II q under thorough discipline and the es-
tablisbment in which the employees do about
as hey choose is the difference between
success and failure-between rapid ac-
cnmulation and utter bankruptcy. Do not
come TO the store ten minutes after time.
BE there within two seconds after. Do not
think anything 90 in ignitcant to do we'll.
DO not say, "lls only once" From the
most impor amt transaction in commerce
down to the particular style in which you
tie q string around bundle, obey orders.
DO not get easily disguised. While others
in the store may lounge, or fret, or COM
plain, You 90 with ready hands and cheer
ful ace and contented spirit to your work.
When the bnele sounds, the good soldier
ask no questions, but shoulders his KNAPP
sack. lis his can en- and listens for the
command o. "3lurch!" Do not get the
idca that yoGr Interests and those of your
employer are Hnlneonistc. His success
WI. be vour honor. His embarrassment
will be your dsm Y. Expose none Of the
tinltes Of tue irm. Tell no store secrets.
DO not blah. Rebuff those persons who
come to find out from clerks what ought
never be known outside the store. Do not
be among those young men who take on a
mysterious air when something is said
alninst the firm that employs them, as
much as to say: 81 could tell you some
things ii I would, but I won't" Do not
he among those who imagine they can
build themselves up by pulling somebody
else down. Be not ashamed to be o subal-
tern.
Again counsel clerks in this house to
search out what are the unlawful and dis
honest demands of an establishment and
resist them. In the 5000 years that have
passed there has never been an occasion
when it was ones duty to sin against God.
il is never right to do wrong. If the head
men of the firm expect of you dishonesty,
dI,appoint them. "Oh, " you say, 81 should
lose mvplace then" Better lose your place
thn lose your soul But you will not lose
We 'Qcn Christian horcism is always
honored. You go 10 the head men Of your
store and say: "Sir, l want to serve you;
/ want to oblige you; it is from no lack Of in
dustry on my part, but this thing seems to
me to be wrong, and it is sin against my
conscience; it is sin against God, and
beg you, sir, to excuse me-" He may flush
up and swear, but he will cool down and he
will have more admiration for you than for
those who submit to his evil dictation and
while they sink you will rise. Do not, be-
Cause Of seeming temporary advantage, give
up your character, young man. Under
God that is the only thing to build on. Give
up that, you give upeverything. That en-
ployer asks a young man to hurt himself
for time and for eternity who expects him
to make wrong entry or change On invoice,
or say goods cost so much when they cost
less: or impose upon the yerdancy of GUS
toner or misrepresent a style of fabric
How dare he demand Of you anything SO
insolen2
There is one style of temptation that
comes on great many of our clerks, and
that is upon those who are engaged in what
is called drumming" Now, that occupa.
tion is Just as honorable as any other, if it
be conducted in accord with ones con-
science. In this day, whHn there are so many
riyalries in business, all our commercial
establishments ought to have men abroad
who are seeking ont for opportunities of
merchandise. There can be no objection
to that. But there are professed Christian
merchants in the week night prayer meet
ing who have clerks abroad in New York
conducting merchants of Cincinnati and
Chicago and st. Louis through the de-
baucheries of the great town in order to
secure the custom for the store. There are
in stores in New York and Brooklyn drawers
in which there are kept moneys which the
clerks are to go to and get whatever they
want to conduct these people through the
dssipations of the city. The head men of
the firm wink at if, and in some places
actually demand it-prefessed Christian
merchants. One would think that the
prayer would freeze on their lips and they
would fall back dead at the sound of their
own song. What chance is there for young
men when commercial establishments ex-
pect such things of themP Among all
hings Internal, pronounce that the most
damnable. Young man, how will that firm
treat you when you are. utterly despoiled
and dragged out with sin going through the
haunts Of iniquity for the purpose of get
ting customers for their store? How will
they treat you? Oh, they will give you a
pension They will build you fine house!
They will get you a horse and carriagel
viii theyp No. Some day you will go to
the store, shabby, intoxicated, worn out in
their service, and they will say: "John,
you are disgrace to our house. Now, just
look at yourself. Accountant, how much
do we owe this mani" ga dollar and thi' 'ty
cents" swell, now, here-here 1T is q
dollar and thirty cents. Go off. Don't be
hanging around the store" Magnanimity
superb! They stole the luster from his eye,
and the color from his cheek, and the honor
from his soul, and then they kicked him
out. If such professed Christian mer-
chants do not go straight to hell don't
know any use of having such place. Oh,
young men disappoint the expectation of
that firm; disappoint those customers if
these things are expected fyou. You may
sell an extra case of goods; you may sell an
extra roll of silk; bul the trouble is, you
may have to throw your soul to boot in the
bargain.
Again: counsel all clerks to conquer the
trials of their particular position. One
: great trial for clerks is the reconsideration
, Of customers. There are people who are
entirely polite everywhere else, but gruff
, and dictatorial and contemplate when they
come into store to buy anything. There
are thousands of men and women who 90